Malory and his European Contemporaries: Adapting Late Medieval Arthurian Romance Collections (Arthurian Studies, 81) (Volume 81)

The late-medieval adaptions and compiliations of the Arthurian story are a European phenomenon that has sparked both mystification and controversy. Often dismissed as nostalgic recreations that attempt to halt the literary tide, these ambitious projects saw adaptors from across Western Europe combining a vast array of prose and verse sources from different languages into encyclopedic narrative chronologies of King Arthur and his court. Ranging from ornate verse adaptations to heavily condensed prose works, the resulting texts reflect a process of translating, cutting and arranging Arthurian material into new literary incarnations, which nonetheless retain recognisable versions of the Arthurian story. This study re-evaluates Malory's 'Morte Darthur' and four broadly contemporary European romance collections, including Jean Gonnot's French BN.fr.112 manuscript, Ulrich Fuetrer's German 'Buch der Abenteuer', the Dutch 'Lancelot' Compilation, and the Italian 'Tavola Ritonda', in the context of this adaptative process. In doing so, it investigates how the adaptors respond to the shared structural and stylistic challenges of incorporating new material into the well-known story of King Arthur and comes to intriguing conclusions about the ways in which the narrative demands of late Arthurian adaptations invited authors to populate the Arthurian court with new and more complex protagonists. Miriam Edlich-Muth currently teaches Old and Middle English language and literature at the University of Cambridge A reconsideration of Arthurian compilations in the late middle ages, looking at the complex ways in which they reshape their material for new audiences. The late-medieval adaptions and compilations of the Arthurian story are a European phenomenon that has sparked both mystification and controversy. Often dismissed as nostalgic recreations that attempt to halt the literary tide, these ambitious projects saw adaptors from across Western Europe combining a vast array of prose and verse sources from different languages into encyclopedic narrative chronologies of King Arthur and his court. Ranging from ornate verse adaptations to heavily condensed prose works, the resulting texts reflect a process of translating, cutting and arranging Arthurian material into new literary incarnations, which nonetheless retain recognisable versions of the Arthurian story. This study re-evaluates Malory's Morte Darthur and four broadly contemporary European romance collections, including Jean Gonnot's French BN.fr.112 manuscript, Ulrich Fuetrer's German Buch der Abenteuer, the Dutch Lancelot Compilation, and the Italian Tavola Ritonda, in the context of this adaptive process. In doing so, it investigates how the adaptors respond to the shared structural and stylistic challenges of incorporating new material into the well-known story of King Arthur and comes to intriguing conclusions about the ways in which the narrative demands of late Arthurian adaptations invited authors to populate the Arthuriancourt with new and more complex protagonists. Miriam Edlich-Muth currently teaches Old and Middle English language and literature at the University of Cambridge. The late-medieval adaptions and compilations of the Arthurian story are a European phenomenon that has sparked both mystification and controversy. Often dismissed as nostalgic recreations that attempt to halt the literary tide, these ambitious projects saw adaptors from across Western Europe combining a vast array of prose and verse sources from different languages into encyclopaedic narrative chronologies of King Arthur and his court. Ranging from ornate verse adaptations to heavily condensed prose works, the resulting texts reflect a process of translating, cutting and arranging Arthurian material into new literary incarnations, which nonetheless retain recognisable versions of the Arthurian story. This study re-evaluates Malory's Morte Darthur and four broadly contemporary European romance collections, including Jean Gonnot's French BN.fr. 112 manuscript, Ulrich Fuetrer's German Buch der Abenteuer, the Dutch Lancelot Compilation, and the Italian Tavola Ritonda, in the context of this adaptive process. In doing so, it investigates how the adaptors respond to the shared structural and stylistic challenges of incorporating new material into the well-known story of King Arthur and comes to intriguing conclusions about the ways in which the narrative demands of late Arthurian adaptations invited authors to populate the Arthurian court with new and more complex protagonists The Late-medieval Adaptations And Compilations Of The Arthurian Story Are A European Phenomenon That Has Sparked Both Mystification And Controversy. Often Dismissed As Nostalgic Recreations That Attempt To Halt The Literary Tide, These Ambitious Projects Saw Adaptors From Across Western Europe Combining A Vast Array Of Prose And Verse Sources From Different Languages Into Encyclopedic Narrative Chronologies Of King Arthur And His Court. Ranging From Ornate Verse Adaptations To Heavily Condensed Prose Works, The Resulting Texts Reflect A Process Of Translating, Cutting, And Arranging Arthurian Material Into New Literaty Incarnations, Which Nonetheless Retain Recognisable Versions Of The Arthurian Story. This Study Re-evaluations Malory's 'morte Darthur' And Four Broadly Contemporary European Romance Collections. Miriam Edlich-muth. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 1. The Adaptation Process 11 2. Style and Narrative Strategy 38 3. Chronological and Genealogical Structures in the 'Morte Darthur', the 'Buch der Abenteuer' and the 'Tavola Ritonda' 62 4. Narrative Plot Development in the 'Morte Darthur', the 'Buch der Abenteuer' and the 'Tavola Ritonda' 87 5. 'The Best Knight in the World': Adapting Character Constellations 116 Conclusion 147 Appendix: Note on the Texts and Manuscripts 159 Bibliography 169 Index 181